Could anyone advise how you teach a puppy not to chew or is it about just waiting it out?

[PlumWallpaper]

We may be rehoming a puppy and it is still in the chewing stage.

Do you just have to wait it out or can you train them not to?

Thanks for any advice.

please

pretty please

no help at all but...

things my dog ate:

shoes
belts
wooden chairs (just chewed the corners)
a hard back library book (just the end, which i hadn't read yet!)
a big chair from a suite. (DESTROYED it. there was foam EVERYWHERE)

he eventually grew out of it.

we crated him for a while. but he licked the metal lock so much that it rusted and broke open.

Our puppies chewed when bored and unsupervised. If you can get a crate to leave them in when you are out, and try and minimise the time they are actually left alone at all, you should be OK. Also, you can provide them with toys to chew, so they do have an outlet for this teething/chewing thing they all go through. Hope this helps

You can only encourage chewing of their own things.

Watches thread with great interest.

Still at leats I have not got a lab. Though sometimes I think she maybe worse.

We have toys, teethers, puppy chews, puppy treats, nothing works.

As she yet she has only destroyed a ds charger, which my dad fixed.

aah thankyou very much
so it is mainly/more of a problem when the dogs are left alone/bored

I am a SAHM mum and I wouldn't be wanting to leave the dog alone very much at all.Hopefull that will help.

agree - give them things the can chew - if they teething they need it! eg. Kongs (the big black ones are good) or large round edged logs (recommended in a puppy book - was good fo ours, but he didn't go mad on them - you need to watch them with that one).

hard nylabone type toys too...

anything that you can let them chew is good - then they learn what they can chew if you tell them 'ah ah' or similar whn they put the wrong thing in their mouth - but praise for the right objects.

With kongs - if you stuff them with something like mashed banana and yoghurt - and stick in freezer - then give them that are like a soothing lolly for them

There was another method i read for stopping them chewing specific things... which was to rub clove oil or a hot chilli (!) on the objects you don't want them to chew - but i never did that and probably wouldn't advocate it...

thanks very much iggypiggy
some very good advice there
now we just have to hope that the other family interested dont say they want him before we have gone to see him

anything else I need to know as a puppy owner?

apart from the obvious of feeding, walking, loving and hugging

It is toilet trained already and has been 'dumped' in a crate, rather than crate trained for 14 hours a day for the last two months

Never leave the dog unsupervised. If you can't watch him, crate him, or put him somewhere safe with only his own toys.

Expecting a puppy not to chew is like giving a two year old a pot of paint and telling him not to get messy.

Socialise him as much as possible if he has been neglected as you say. Invest in some decent puppy training and socialisation classes.

thanks geepers
where would I find out about these kind of things?

sorry I seem to know nothing at all

Buy a book - would recommend The Perfect Puppy by Gwen Bailey

Or just ask on here

Also agree with Geepers - join a training class, you can ask at your local vet in case they have some suggestions - or search online.

Would also recommend getting insurance - for ets bills etc

ps. what type of dog is it (am nosey )

hi iggy its a collie cross, 7 months old
tis trinity here

other thread here

When my lab cross was about 7 months she chewed everything [ labs are notorious- dont think some other breeds are as bad].
My vet said they needed to chew to embed their teeth growing through
Hide all shoes, slippers etc
I use to give chews all the time - eapecially if I left her alone]
She is 6 years now and doesn't chew anything left at all
Have a shoe basket at the front door
Good luck
It will change your life but in such a lovely way

Labs are ime the worst chewers! Mine chewed the shelving in the pantry, the table leg, knocked a load of washing in a basket from the table and shredded EVERY bit of it!!!
Shoes, Slippers...errr anything he could get funnily enough!!!

The bitch lab wasn't nowhere near so bad! Just the boy that was!

I have a collie x pup now, shes 8 mths and a mega chewer........Great....

Lots of excercise for the dog/s so they dont get bored, chewing is due to boredom a lot of the time. And give them their own toys to chew and a firm NO when you catch them/or see the aftermath.

Would definately recommend 'bitter apple' spray. It worked really well for us.

they'll only chew what they have access to. you need to be scrupulous about not leaving shoes, handbags, remote controls, toys, teddy bears, anything in their reach whilst they're unsupervised. Geepers' analogy is very accurate.

We were lucky in that the only thing ours could chew in the kitchen were the cupboards (table and chairs have metal legs which deter even the most determined lab). a dose of apple spray seemed to do the trick. so we were able to leave him there. kongs are great (very hard rubber toys you can stuff with food) and keep them amused so they don;t get bored.

Don't give them an old shoe/sock, anything like that. They will not understand when you get mad about the "good" shoes you want to wear. Make sure they have plenty of chewy toys which are entirely theirs. Lots of exercise, too.